UMBC Makes History in the Sweetest Cinderella Story in the NCAA: 'We Believed in Each Other'

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s basketball team, the UMBC Retrievers, surprised everyone by defeating the Virginia Cavaliers, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA on Friday night.

The team was ranked as a No. 16 seed and not expected to be victorious as they competed in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. However, when the buzzer blew, the scoreboard read a history-making 74-54.

The excitement was palpable enough that several team players couldn’t contain their tears of joy after their win, with Jairus Lyles telling reporters they won because “we believed in each other.”

No. 11, K.J. Maura, said, “It’s a dream come true.”

C’MON GUYS, you crashed our dang website, our IT people wanna watch the game too, please form an orderly line

— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018

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As UMBC celebrated, at least one of the Virginia players broke down into tears and had to be consoled by a teammate.

NCAA fans and curious viewers alike were enraptured but also intrigued by the relatively unknown school that defeated Virginia. The school’s website crashed, but their Twitter account was on hand to provide hilarious comebacks and commentary on their historic win.

University of Maryland Baltimore County, who are you? https://t.co/XGp9MacmGb

— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018

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RESPECT. US.

— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018

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UMBC Head Coach Ryan Odom, who is in his second season at the school, told reporters after the win, “The biggest thing I love about this is that I love seeing them smile. They’re great kids, high-energy kids… they deserve it.”

Several people on Twitter reacted to the upset making UMBC the top trending topic on the social media site. Veteran reporter Dan Rather tweeted, “If you’re not watching the UMBC Virginia game, you are missing the biggest Cinderella story since, well, Cinderella #MarchMadness.”

If you’re not watching the UMBC Virginia game, you are missing the biggest Cinderella story since, well, Cinderella #MarchMadness

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) March 17, 2018

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Virginia could not stop the ballhandling skills of UMBC. How many brackets have been busted.